Stan Wawrinka did an exclusive Q and A with the ATP Tour where he talked about his tennis career and the recent positive results.
The 37-year-old is turning 38 fairly soon yet his tennis career is not trending downward. A few years ago Wawrinka posted a selfie lying in a bed with both of his ankles wrapped after surgery on both of them. It looked grim for his tennis prospects yet here he is proving that age is just a number.
Of course it’s always special. That’s one of the main reasons why I keep playing tennis. I enjoy what I’m doing. I’m passionate about it. The emotion that I get from the fans, from the people in each tournament, from the support that I can get in matches, is always going to be special.
He's not the first one to prove that nor is he going to be the last one but it's an important thing to observe because it's not something every player is willing to do. The Wawrinkas and Murrays of the world are rare. For the Swiss player, it's just something he enjoys. The sport, the grind, the process.
I think you need to see it as the big picture. The day you stop your sport there is no return. There is no way back, because it’s impossible to stop after 30 and then try to come back. It’s almost impossible, it’s so tough.
He recently celebrated returning to the top 100 after s string of good results and many wondered why it was important to him. He simply wanted to remind people of where he came from and also to motivate himself to keep going.
As long as I feel competitive, I want to keep going. But it’s also to remind people not to forget where you come from and what was your dream when you were young. It doesn’t matter if I won three Grand Slams, if I achieved way more than I could dream of. It still has to be special. If you want to keep pushing yourself after 30 and you want to still be passionate about that, things have to be special.
To conclude Wawrinka picked his favourite tennis memory and it's the French Open final against Novak Djokovic.
It’s tough to say, but I would probably pick the French Open final against Novak Djokovic. It’s tough to pick one because I’ve had so many. I’m lucky I have many big memories, but the French Open has always been special. In France, winning the title after winning in juniors is something really special.
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